An optical fiber connector typically comprises a pair of supporting means such as metallic plugs and a removable sleeve. The supporting means have both a precisely machined inner surface, for the insertion of an optical fiber, and an outer surface which is inserted into the sleeve to align the plugs.
When the connector is assembled, an end face of a first fiber will be adjacent an end face of a second fiber with air interposed between the end faces. The glass-to-air interfaces create a reflection of a percentage of a transmitted optical signal, thereby reducing the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal. The reflection may also increase the distortion of the transmitted signal and cause undesirable frequency shifting of single wavelength laser sources. Previously, an anti-reflection coating would be formed on the end faces of the optical fibers to minimize the reflectivity. However, the formation of these coatings on the fiber end faces is typically impractical at the location where an optical fiber system is being installed. Another proposed solution uses an index matching fluid, having about the same refractive index as that of the optical fibers, interposed between the fiber end faces. However, in this situation the fiber is not well supported and also the fluid typically becomes dirty resulting in poor transmission. Additionally, since a typical transmission system includes several connectors, individual connector losses in any proposed solution must be minimized to prevent an unacceptably high system transmission loss.
As demonstrated by the aforementioned problems, it would be desirable to have an easily installable fiber optic connector and method of using same which reduces the reflectivity at the connection.